Migrate vCenter Server (VCSA) from Intel to AMD Host across Disparate Storage Arrays

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• This article outlines the Method of Procedure (MOP) for migrating a vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) between clusters with heterogeneous CPU architectures (Intel to AMD) and disparate primary storage arrays.

• Due to Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) constraints preventing live compute migration across different CPU vendors, a cold migration is required.

• An interim shared NFS datastore is utilized to bridge the storage boundary.

Prerequisites & Environment Validation:

1. Validate a current, restorable file-based backup or snapshot of the VCSA exists.

2. Confirm the interim NFS datastore is provisioned, accessible, and mounted to both the source (Intel) and destination (AMD) ESXi hosts.

3. Verify the network topology. Ensure Virtual Standard Switches (VSS) and Standard Portgroups are configured identically on source and destination hosts.

4. Confirm VLAN ID configurations and DNS server reachability will remain continuous during the migration path.

Environment

VMware ESXi

VMware vCenter Server

Resolution

 

• Pre-Migration Health Check: Access the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) on port 5480. Navigate to the Health Status pane to establish a healthy baseline prior to execution. Reference: View vCenter Server Health Status

• Stage Storage (Live): Initiate a Storage vMotion to migrate the powered-on VCSA from its current source datastore to the shared NFS datastore.

• Execute Compute Cold Migration:

  • a. Gracefully shut down the VCSA guest operating system. Wait for the VM to fully power off to satisfy EVC architectural constraints.

  • b. Unregister the VCSA virtual machine from the source Intel ESXi host inventory via the vSphere Host Client. Reference: Unregister Virtual Machines from the vSphere Host Client

• Register Compute on Target: Log in to the destination AMD ESXi host via the vSphere Host Client. Browse the shared NFS datastore, locate the VCSA .vmx file, and register the virtual machine to the new host inventory. Reference: Register an Existing Virtual Machine in the vSphere Host Client

• Restore Services: Power on the VCSA on the target AMD host. Verify network connectivity mapping on the Standard Switch upon initialization. Wait for all vCenter services to start successfully.

• Finalize Storage Migration (Live): Initiate a final Storage vMotion to migrate the powered-on VCSA from the interim NFS datastore to the destination Storage Array datastore.

• Post-Migration Health Check: Access the VAMI (port 5480) and validate that the vCenter Server Health Status remains green and all services are operating nominally. Reference: View vCenter Server Health Status

 

Additional Information

• View vCenter Server Health Status

• Unregister Virtual Machines from the vSphere Host Client

• Register an Existing Virtual Machine in the vSphere Host Client